Attaching clip for wall surfacing



Deco 1952 M. KETCHUM, JR

ATTACHING CLIP FOR WALL SURFACING 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Jan. 50. 1947 M. KETCHUM, JR 2,620,906 ATTACHING CLIP FOR WALL SURFACING Dec. 1952 Filed Jan. 50, 1947 2 Sl-lEETS-SHEET 2 jwenfof gJ/azwb .ifefhmfi h w w Patented Dec. 9, 1952 un ao; sa -Ares: PATENT: OFFICE ATTACHI N G CLIP'FOR WALL SURFACING Morris ketchum Jnt ldew York, N. Y., assignor to- -TheiKawn eer-Gompany, Niles, Mich.,.a cor-W poration of-Michiganl Applicationdanuaryw, 1947, SerialNo. 725,404-- Th'epresent invention' relates to construction;

' 4 class. (01. 189-88 materialsand more specifically to the combinationof a; acing iiiateri-al as; disclosed in Miller Patent: 7N0? 2,511 ,074[ ahd in =KnbttPatent N01 2,591,361, with improved mounting devices Where-L- by itmay-be" mounted on a supportingv wall'toformanornamental exteriorsurface for the walls The invention is of equalutility-for interior wallsh Material's o 'f-thisgeneral type are used for many and varied -purposes but they are particularly well "suited to the construction of store fronts, etc; or 'a n-y-" similar installation-where a pleasingly.

patterned surface of attractive and modern appearar'i is essential. In view 'of the wide variety of materials that have been utilized forthis purpose, it is 'believedmecessaryto briefly review the: problems incident --to suchinstallations, "so 1 that difiicul-tisaptto'be' encountered'maybe kept in mind:and-' the advantages obtained bythe use of a facing ii'1ateria1'and mounting means such ashere disclosed can be fully I appreciated. I

It 5 will 'be' remembered that materials of this type"are-not orily adapted for application to new buildings} but are also often used to modernize existing' structures, inwhich case they are applied overthe' resentwa11 surfaces to "conceal unsightly Walls and to enhance the appearance of the building'J- fIt "follows that they areeften applied to irregularor oddly shaped areas; and it is therefore essential that-thematerialbe capable of easy-- "ionand'easily'cut't0 fit'the areas to be LMoreovenit should be remembered thatinstall cover'e since" the-materials are often applied to existing structures having existin ledges, Windows, or other-peculiarities ofconstructi'on; it is not al--' ways practicable to mount "the furring strips on whicn thefacingis carriedrin an exactly uniform patt'ernfor withzexactly accurate spacing between various strips.

Possiblyllevenjmore important is the, fact that facing, materials may' be used. on" buildin s; in 1 which the'supporting Wall is'not entirely stable and "that" inTsomeinstances a certainamount of settling-orshifting of'the' supporting walls is to beexpected; Obviously, to cope with'such a condition; it isessential toprovide a facing material with"mounting devices which are not only'easy to install, but are so constructed that the surface of the-facing material'is'not distorted by reasonable shiftingof the supporting wall, so that the attractiveness of its appearance will not be diminished.

The g'eneral aim of the present invention is to provide an improved facing material assembly that is more acceptable than those a previously known in that; it is more; easily installed andis also; more satisfactory 'in use since ;it presents a 3 more pleasing appearance andli'sless-zsubjfict tow accidental; damage. More-specifically, ,it is one of the subjects :orzthe invention togprovide a sec;- tional facing surface wherein thepsurfa'ceiis ap-,

plied in small; sections joined to each; otherby joints thatzarepinconspicuous, yet with mounting meansrsuf ficiently yieldable so that,-the as= sembly -;may not only compensate; for expected thermal expansion, but may also permit its indi vidual parts "to shift-:suflicientlydo avoi,d damage ,duelto reasonable; sagging or ,shifting sqf theisupporting wall; 7 V

A further object -;of the invention, residesinthe 3 3 prOViSiOn? of a sectional ifacing assembly .as:-in-. dicated, with improved mounting devicessotliat.

the. sectionslof the racing ,materialwmay; besupported. entirely; on a "number oi iurring; strips; secured, to the. supportingsurface: in order that the devices ,byq-which the-panels). are secured, -are,-

entirely enclosed, so ;that they;g will be invisible from the exterior surface-ofthe Wall and:p. .O-.-I.

tectedv against physical damageralldt a ainst, ex posure to the elements.

A still further object ofthe invention resides in the provisionpf a m0unting ,c1ip,consistingoig; a single sheet metal stamping so formedastoin: :1 clude frictional surf-acestozengage a furringtstrip shi'itably tbutxwith ;.sufiicient: friction .to securega the clip andfacing. panel in:place, together with:

a bracket arranged to slidably engage the edges of the individual panels of 'thefacing material, 1, but exert a sufiicient frictional grip to anchor the panels in! position-with respect to the' furring strips. A furtherobject of the invention resides inxthe provision of a .facing material including furring strips-adapted toibe securedto a supporting wall, exterior facingrpanels', andzmoun'ting means for. securinguthe' facing panelsJtothe furring strips. 7 wherein all-.of the parts of. the uassemblyuare formed of-relatively thin. sheet material, and wherein the individual parts comprise; a, multi; V

plicity of identical pieces, so that the materialis' readily adaptable-to economicalma'ss production methodsot manufacture and: is equally well. adaptable to installation onlargeor small areas.

anctto regular or irregular surfaces.

The" foregoing obj'eotsare accomplished in the teachings of this-invention bytheprovision-of facing panels consistingof generally flat sheets: 1 of thin material having a number of lor'1gitu'di-' nal channels-formed-therein-to give the mate'rial additional rigidity and provide a surface pattern: l

for the panels, together with furring strips adapted to be secured to any supporting surface and mounting clips arranged to be set in the furring strips and to support the individual panels of the facing. It is contemplated that the material may be mounted in either vertical or horizontal position and that the channels formed in the material may run either vertically or horizontally, but in any event the panels will be positioned at approximately right angles to the strips, so that a number of mounting clips may be positioned along the edges of each individual panel to anchor the panel to every furring strip over which it extends.

A preferred commercial embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings attached to and forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of facing material as contemplated by this disclosure, illustrating the method of mounting the material on a supporting surface and the means by which adjoining panels of the material are coupled to each other.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the mounting clips by which the panels are secured to the furring strips.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the facing material, the view being taken substantially on the center line of one of the furring strips.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of a supporting filler, the view being taken substantially on the plane of the line 44 in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view through a joint between the sides of adjoining panels, showing a mounting clip in position. The view is taken substantially on the plane of the line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of one of the types of panels contemplated by this invention, together with a, coupling sleeve fitted in position against the inner panel surfaces.

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of a modified form of facing panel.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view of another modified form of panel.

Figure 9 is a front elevational view of one of the furring strips, showing the manner in which the mounting clips are secured.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional view of a mounting clip and furring strip, taken substantially w on the plane of the line II0 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line II-I I of Figure 9, and

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view of a. corner fitting.

In installing the material disclosed in this application, it is contemplated that the individual panels will be mounted on and secured to some supporting wall, here represented by the surface I0. A plurality of furring strips II are mounted on the wall in any convenient manner, as by the screws I2 in the screw holes I3 at spaced intervals along the back portion I4 of the strips, each of which consists of a relatively wide shallow channel having side flanges I and a pair of lips I6 extending inwardly from each of the side flanges. The furring strips I I are adapted to receive a number of mounting clips 20 each consisting of a stamping punched out of a single piece of sheet metal and formed to include a mounting portion adapted to be received in the furring strip and frictionally secured, together with a bracket portion extending outwardly from the furring strip and having means to engage the edges of the individual panels of facing material to anchor the panels to the strips.

The mounting clip includes an arched center portion 2| which bridges the center of the back Wall of the furring strip to clear the heads of the supporting screws and terminates in a pair of outwardly curving folds 22 which form convex contact surfaces on the lower side of the clip, to bear against the back surface I4 of the furring strips I I. The arch 2I is raised to approximately the full height of the furring strip, however, so that the clips can be inserted in the channel and slid along the strips to any desired point, and will clear the heads of any of the supporting screws I2. The clips also include a pair of spring wings 23 extending outwardly and upwardly from the folds 22 and curved in cross section in two planes, so that the upper surfaces of the wings comprise convex frictional surfaces adapted to fit under and bear against the lower surface of the lips IS. The convex contact surfaces of the clip exert a high degree of friction, but have no tendency to bind or lock the clips against movement. Thus the clips inserted in the furring strips can be moved along the channel by force, but secure themselves in position by friction sufiicient to provide an adequate mounting for the individual sections of the facing material. To this end each of the clips includes a bracket portion 24 extending outwardly from the center arch 2I and terminating in a pair of anchor tabs 25 spaced apart from each other and adapted to lie over and engage the edge flange of one of the panels. The anchor tabs are each provided with upturned ends to contact the inner surface of the furring panels and hold the tabs down, and with latch hooks 26 struck downwardly from the tabs to prevent displacement of the panel with respect to the clip. These anchor tabs also prevent rotation of the clip with respect to the panels and furring strips. The bracket 24 of the clip also includes a spring tab 21 extending outwardly between the tabs 25 to act as a pressure pad adapted to bear upwardly against the inner side of the tongue of the panel to aid in effecting a tightly sealed joint between the individual panels.

The clips 20 are of a length considerably greater than their width; that is, the distance between the outer edges of the wings 23 is somewhat greater than the length of the arch 2I, so that the clip may be inserted into the furring strip by dropping it in position with the arch 2I perpendicular to the length of the furring strip and then rotating the clip degrees through the position shown at the left of Figure 9 to the final position illustrated at the right of Figure 9. The outer surfaces of the wings 23 are curved as indicated at 28 so that the clip may be rotated without wedging against the flange I5 of the furring strip. It may also be noted that the bracket portion 24 extending upwardly from the clip includes a pair of clearance notches 29 on its opposite sides to define a relatively narrow neck portion in the plane of the lips I6, so that as the clip is rotated into position and passes through the position indicated at the left of Figure 9 the inwardly extending lip I6 on the flange I 5 of the furring strip will not strike the bracket, but will enter the notch 29 so that the bracket will be free of interference with the lips I 6 as the clip is inserted.

The individual sections of the facing material each consist of a generally fiat panel having a number of regularly spaced flat bottom channels extending longitudinally of the panel to define Citizen; of" each "of the enamels; lwalis saare pr'eferabiy at anbhtuse angle wit respect'td'the "surfaces 3t and 3 2, ai1d one; edg of '-thepanel terminates" in"a"wa 1i*34 'si-n -il lafli'finclined and joining thebuter face "surface- 3|" ith' a"fl'at tongue'35 'termin'atin'g'in' -an in; weirdly extending perpendicular "flange "36 i The fiat tongue 35 is preferably (st-greater wid thlthan" theiowerfacesurfacesfi ofthehhaniiels to' pro- I w q e5 vide'amarginal"sealing'surface '31 adapted tobe' lips I6 of th'e"furfiiigstribs tdhdldthblbiik reiiivedfin'a groove orcouplingsocket"ofan ad j joining panel." 7 The coupling Socket "40 on the op site edg'' 'of J the panel includes an inwardly inclined surface: 38 forming ,a reverse bend to provide an inner sealing 'surface 39inth'e same 'plafi eas thedower irfao'esf32 and the sealing surface "31, but oppositelydis iiosed; The socktf'includes a sec' ori'd reverse bend 41' cdnnectin'gfthe "portion 39 with fiat portion llco mpfisihjg amounting Su r ran and tern'iinatin'g'in' a shortberp endicularf u V H r flan 6'43; The flange 4 3fis'1ocatedbyoiidthe v the lowe efid oj ajsini ilaf pa edg bf theiieveise bend 383hd'eXterids upwardly 4 tobefirifiifiitdhboi e thibaieljg wi ll vide 1a chijng I'mean's adapted tofsnap under to a'fpoint 'justshort of the plane'of theinhf A I" 11 r1 sea ng'sUrfa'eBS sdthatjwhena'pairiof'identi- W 1 I a f x; caFpa'neTs ar'joindjthe sealing surface '3! of g lower co e of Fig 1, where his e;

3'1 .a iaf werpai ei 5 ea t the tongue 3 5 'on'bne' panel" will bear against the;

The tohgfiei 35 0ff 0fie pifil: will ibflfoeiil d in-"theho'uhling socket 40 "of the adjoining ane with i' tl'ie "salingsurfaee' 31; bearing: dire'c'tiyagainsgme innef seaimg surfa e 39 rin tick r, The ange :{wi be erigagea underi'the pair of 1 anchor tabsf"' to force the-Mounting surface A2 7 against the lips "l6 "of the 'furriiig strin The latch ho k w ll. prevent ih l a i i t ii b ns d n e e fr m 2 ta wet-w l Pe f 101i dinal shifting of the panel in iesponse to a forcegrea'fenoughtoovercome the friction be twe rithe parts; v g The center tab for spring pressure pad*21 ,wil1 I engage the rear surface of the tongue 35 and urge v T it' outward1y to' force the sealing surface 31 into firm" engagement with "the inner seams; suriface 3Q as to effect a tight, weatherbroof'joint In this connection it will be noted that the flange" as f tu eeridbr thewn'gue will'tendto'ni'ain tai'iifth'' tongue straight and true "and "this as,- sist' in "establishing an adequate seal:hifiz veri the" sections'and that the flange '43" of the b 'ufiiin socket is positioned beyond 't1 ie "reverse" bend 38L This'aids'in'positioningtheclips on the flange and facilitates inthe insertion of'the tongue of one panel in thesocketbflthe 'next adjoining an-e1 as the materialis mstanedr I I I The individual sections of them'a'teria1 may be formed inan'y cdnvenieiit'width arid length, and with or without the longitudinal channels The forin illustrated in Figure 6 includesfihre channels; whueuie forni'illustia tfe d in Figure 7 includes identical parts designated by the-samerefrencenu'm'era ls, but with only a singlecham nel} Various-other 'modificationsmay be desira -,g ,i .7 o a ..b big} to" facilitate installation ofthis type of slib' here dlsciosed- It is "unnecessary fi sh l fi e d v ulllpafiels inij'pdsitionf'by Spring f 'r ma areas n is contemplaxtgd alignment o-f the furring strips with each other flitdd bldg' d panemhsuchas'the panelhiuusa oif to have the individual furring strips spaced trated in Figure 8, which has counling sockets 40- fi f at 9 ,dlstances e Wlthlregular? n'i b p proviqgd; and thatjneces; intervals since the clips will anchor th'epanels" saiyftypes of termination fittings or angle mack-1 mt furring Strips at any poinvofintersefitionr'1 et's; such as the typical corner bracket shown in Th is important in applying facing material to Figure 12 may be desirable. Here an angle strip existing structures since it is not always practi- 44 has a short flange 45 at each edge, so that it cable to provide exactly aligned u strip nor is it always feasible to position the strips at an exact distance from each other or at perfectly regular intervals.

In conclusion, it is submitted that the present disclosure provides a facing material that is at once well adapted to economical manufacture and adapted for quick and easy installation on any type of supporting wall, characterized by a neat, modern and attractive appearance, capable of resisting damage due to instability of the supporting walls and thus likely to maintain an attractive appearance permanently, and, in short, ideally suited to its intended purpose.

The construction of the clips possesses many outstanding advantages due to the fact that the center arch 2i, wings 23, bracket 24, pad 21, and tabs 26 are all integral, and formed from one unitary piece of resilient sheet material. The clip construction is therefore unusually strong, but resilient in all of its parts, so that the panels are yieldably but firmly held secured in position with respect to the furring strips. Additionally, the clips are snapped onto edge flanges of the panels and yieldably but firmly hold the panels in place, with the joints between the panels elastically yet securely sealed.

The exact form of the invention illustrated in the drawings and described in this specification is the present commercial embodiment of these teachings and is believed to be well illustrative of the inventive thought involved. It is recognized, however, that certain variations of mechanical design are feasible without sacrifice of all of the advantages inherent in this disclosure and it is accordingly pointed out that the scope of the invention extends to any modification or variation coming within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a fastening clip comprising a sheet metal plate having an arched center section terminating in outwardly curved folds, said folds includin convex frictional lower contact surfaces adapted to bear on the bottom of a channel shaped furring strip; a pair of spring retaining wings extending upwardly and outwardly from the curved contact surfaces on each side of the channel portion to engage lips on the side fianges of the furring strip, said wings being curved in cross section to provide convex upper frictional contact surfaces thereon, the length of the arched center section of the clip being substantially less than the span between the outer edges of the wings and the outer edges of the wings being curved so that the clip may be freely inserted between the lips of a furring strip and rotated to lock the wings under the lips; together with a bracket formed integrally with the arched portion and wings and extending outwardly from the strip: the bracket having a wide end remote from the arched portion with a spring pressure pad and a. pair of anchor tabs at the outer end, and having notches on each side to define a narrow neck between the arched portion of the clip and the outer end of the bracket.

2. As an article of manufacture, a fastening clip comprising a sheet metal plate having an arched center section terminating in outwardly curved folds, said folds including convex frictional lower contact surfaces adapted to bear on the bottom of a channel shaped furring strip; a pair of spring retaining wings extending upwardly and outwardly from the curved contact surfaces on each side of the channel portion to engage lips on the side flanges of the furring strip, said wings being curved in cross section to provide convex upper frictional contact surfaces thereon, the length of the arched center section of the clip being substantially less than the span between the outer edges of the wings and the outer edges of the wings being curved so that the clip may be freely inserted between the lips of a furring strip and rotated to lock the wings under the lips; together with means secured to one end of the arched center portion to engage the edge of a facing panel and secure the panel to the furring strip.

3. The combination, with a furring strip having a fiat back wall, a pair of perpendicular flanges along the opposite sides of the back wall, and inwardly extending lips at the upper edge of said fianges to form a rectangular channel, of a fastening clip having an arched center section bridging and substantially spaced away from the center of the back wall of the channel to clear mounting screws therein; a smoothly rounded convex contact surface at each side of the arched section bearing against the back wall of the strip; a pair of spring retaining wings extending upwardly and outwardly from the rounded contact surfaces on each side of the arched section, with a smoothly rounded convex contact surface on the end of each wing bearing against the inner surface of one of the inwardly extending lips of the furring strip fianges to hold the clip in place with firm frictional engagement, yet permit it to be forced longitudinally of the channel without binding against the channel walls or supporting screws.

4. As an article of manufacture, a fastening clip comprising a sheet metal plate having an arched center section adapted to clear fastening means in the center of a channel shaped furring strip, said arched center section terminating in outwardly extending portions which form a pair of frictional lower contact surfaces adapted to bear on the bottom of said furring strip at two places spaced apart from each other, a pair of wings extending outwardly from said contact surfaces to engage inner lips on the side flanges of the furring strip, and a bracket extending outwardly and upwardly from a free edge of said center section of the clip and being provided with panel attaching means.

MORRIS KETCHUM, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,255,841 Adams Feb. 12, 1918 1,631,830 White Aug. 21, 1928 1,968,798 Cherry July 31, 1934 2,057,135 Cherry Oct. 13, 1936 2,116,737 Urbain May 10, 1938 2,148,434 Calkins et a1 Feb. 28, 1939 2,173,524 Van Uum Sept. 19, 1939 2,180,925 Dyresen Nov. 21. 1939 I 2,258,247 Hull Oct. 7, 1941 2,279,916 Del Camp Apr. 14, 1942 2,473,400 Waara June 14, 1949 

